Page 4 of The Player Next Door
Clare’s life was very safe, but it was also monotonous. She didn’t even have a boyfriend or crush to break up the routine, not since Reid left.
She had been with Reid for nine months, just long enough to start making long-term plans. They met at a party at Chase’s boyfriend’s apartment; some guy in the room made a disgusting joke and Reid had rolled his eyes at her, thus signaling he was one of the good ones. She asked him for his number and within a week, they were dating.
Clare had been trying to work up the courage to broach the “should we live together?” discussion when Reid abruptly announced he had taken a job at a company in Phoenix. There was no conversation about her joining him, or them even trying long-distance. JustSorry, you know how I feel about Minnesota wintersandI think I want to make a fresh start, and that was that.
She’d been sad about the breakup, but not particularly devastated. However, lately she’d felt a little bit itchy to change things up, if not quite itchy enough to download a dating app. Clare didn’t have a problem with using dating apps in general, but she found the endlessHey there cutieattempts at conversations to be soul-sucking. She wanted a connection with someone, and yeah, sex would be nice—better than nice, actually, she really could use a good lay—but Clare had never been one for casual relationships. She was a girlfriend-girl and always had been. In fact, she’d never even had sex with someone she wasn’t already dating. And that meant she was more or less treading water, hoping for something or someone to come along and liven things up a bit.
Devi frowned at her. “Are you okay?” she asked, and Clare belatedly realized she had been staring blankly at a pile of crumbs for a little too long.
Clare blinked and straightened. “Oh yeah, totally fine.”
“Really?” Annie asked. “Because you sorta zoned out hardcore there.”
“It’s nothing,” Clare shrugged. “Life is just, you know, kind of . . . boring?”
“Good boring, or bad boring?” Toni asked.
“Just boring boring,” Clare replied.
“Well, don’t tell your boss that or he’s going to give you one of his weirdo assignments,” Annie said drily.
“They’re not that weird,” Clare protested.
“They’re a little weird,” said Devi. “Most people aren’t required to go whitewater rafting for their job. But are you sure you’re okay?”
“Positive.” Clare pushed a smile on her face because really, she had nothing to complain about. She helped herself to another brownie. She had just saved the world, after all. She could handle a little ennui.
Chapter Four
Logan
Things are over with Amber
Sam
Who the fuck is Amber
Logan
Met her at Pour. You were there.
Sam
Why do you think I keep track of the women you fuck? I have much better ways to spend my time
Like letting my mom lecture me about finding a nice boy and settling down
Like going on Tinder and actively soliciting dick picks
Like letting my nieces give me a manicure with permanent marker
Logan snorted at his phone. Sam never bothered to try to spare his feelings, which was the main reason he was friends with her. They had met in college at a frat party, both of them drunk, and proceeded to have what was, to put it mildly, the worst sex of their lives. Sam had rolled over after, looked at him, and burst out laughing.
Logan had joined in, and they’d been friends ever since.
Logan
Yes I get it, I sleep around